Guests of a resident can play the championship courses. Those guests cannot live in Marion, Lake or Sumter County unless I believe they are immediate family. So a friend from Lake County could not play as your guest. From Orange county would be OK for example. We have friends from Jacksonville Duval County play this past August. The summer afternoon rate for us as residents at that time was $36, They paid about $45 as the guest rate.
Currently because we are in the high season, rates increased January 1st to May 30th and residents who are not priority members pay $64 for a round of golf, and there is no afternoon discount, a guest would be about $74. I do not know the guest rate for an executive courses because I do not play them.
You and your guests would do better rate wise playing off campus at somewhere like Stonecrest for example. Unlike TV, Stonecrest allows outsiders who are not residents or even guests come and play their course. Same can said for Arlington Ridge, Spruce Creek, Stone Creek and most all the other retirement communities. That's what's nice about TV courses, very few outsiders on our courses.
Golf courses are off limits to outsiders walking on the golf cart paths, riding a bicycle or driving a golf cart. There is an ambassador on every nine at the championship courses and the executive courses and if they spot a tresspasser, they would tell them to exit the property.
I do not know what a gold course is, did you mean golf course. Yes, all residents can play unless you've been banned for some reason. I have read about residents being banned from the squares and from pools, but not the golf course. If you're a beginner, take lessons, watch golf on TV, watch videos on youtube.com, and play only at the executive courses for at least a year. Spend as much time as possible at the driving range.
Advantages of a golf courses to non-golfers. Probably your property value is higher, a golfer would rather buy in a community with courses than a community without. As a resident open green spaces provide scenic beauty rather than mile after mile of more houses. Golf courses have club houses, which have unique dining restaurants and entertainment.
Tax dollars do not support privately owned golf courses, they're no different than any other business. Do tax dollars support Publix? The Villages uses the golf courses as a revenue source. It's not cheap to play golf. Besides the green fees I mentioned in the above rates, if you decide to be a Priority Member which include some benefits, that's $780 a year at one time. The championship courses are owned by TV and they contract the maintenance to outside parties.
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